Cookies on our website

We use cookies on this website, mainly to provide a secure browsing experience but also to collect statistics on how the website is used. We also embed content from third parties, including social media websites, which may include cookies.You can find out more about the cookies we set, the information we store and how we use it on our cookies page.

MacRobert Building project

The University is currently exploring potential options for the future use of the MacRobert Building, in order to accommodate ambitious plans to expand the Business School while maintaining quality learning space and associated facilities for other users.

The main aim of the exercise is to investigate the potential for locating the Business School entirely in the MacRobert Building. As part of a broader strategy for growth across the University, the Business School has grown significantly in terms of students and staff over the past three years.

Significant growth in student and staff numbers is expected to continue over the School’s next five-year planning period, and the current split-site arrangement does not reflect the University's goal to provide a world-class learning environment where students, staff and practitioners can work collaboratively on projects that impact society.

Of equal importance is the need to ensure that the School of Education, the Department of Music, and other identified users - including those utilising innovation spaces - continue to enjoy the same quality teaching space and associated facilities, either by maintaining access to those facilities or through developing facilities of equivalent standard on an adjacent site.

To this end the University has appointed consultants Turner and Townsend to take forward a scoping exercise under the direction of a Programme Board comprising relevant Heads of School, with representation from AUSA and led by Vice-Principal Professor Alan Speight as Programme Sponsor.

This process is at its initial stage, and no decisions will be taken over the future layout of the building until the findings of the scoping exercise are known.

The University is committed to open dialogue with staff and students as part of this process, and meetings have already taken place with key staff to discuss this ongoing activity.

Further updates will follow where appropriate, and in meantime, staff are invited to make suggestions as to what they would like to see happen to the building in future. Anyone who wishes to get in touch should email macrobert@abdn.ac.uk